Multi-Pet Households

Every day I learn something new about life from my pets.

Last night, at about 11pm or so, hubby and I were laying in bed watching TV. Hillary, our little black missy-boo with an attitude cat hopped up on the bed looking for attention (her usual nightly ritual).

She nudged, she kneaded, and neither of us were paying much attention (well, "Mythbusters" was on, ok?). She nudged harder...she kneaded harder. Finally, I reached over and began to scratch her belly. She immediately laid down and flipped herself on her back and was in heaven. This went on for a couple of minutes until she tired of it and off she went to find a cozy spot in the spare bedroom drawer.

Animals have no shame. If they find something that feels good, that satisfies them, they do it. Sometimes its a belly scratch. Sometimes it's attacking the unsuspecting dog or cat, or human (see previous post). Sometimes it's just laying in a sunny window.

The choices they make are based purely on what makes them happy. Not because they think they "should" do it. Not because anyone is "making" them do it. But because it creates joy in their life.

What if we took the time to step back from our "shoulds" and "have to's" once in a while and just did something because it brings joy to us. Maybe it is just sitting by a sunny window, just being silent for a while, or just "being". Maybe if people spent more time doing what makes them happy, they would just be happier. Instead of playing by the so-called rules and agendas of everyone else. Instead of letting others be in control. Instead of feeling guilty about what other people think is "proper", or "right", for once we should just do it because it feels good.

Like Hillary and her beloved belly scratches - it's about finding those things that make you most happy.

Hillary, our little 5 lb. black cat, is not too crazy about our 75 lb. Lab/Doberman mix Charlie. I think it's because he likes to stick his wet cold nose in her butt. I can't imagine that feels too comfortable. Much of her time is spent perched on a window or table, ready to bolt if he starts to bound toward her.

Lately, though, she has discovered a new form of amusement that directly involves her nemesis. We have blankets covering the arm of an easy chair in our rec room (ok, it's to hide the cat scratches...what else can we do!). One end of the blanket drags on the floor, making a perfect little tent in which kitty can hide until unsuspecting canine walks by.

Charlie takes the bait every time. He goes sniffing around the area (he knows she is there!) and when he least expects it, BAM! she bounds out, paws-a-flyin, usually managing to get a good swipe at his nose before he runs away.

Now here is the difference between cats and dogs. A cat, when faced with the same situation with a surprise attacker, will do one of two things; either they will retaliate with some good hits of their own, or they will run away and hide, never to be seen lurking around that battle zone again.

Dogs, on the other hand, fail miserably at short-term memory, it seems. For Charlie will not retaliate, or run away, but come back for more! As if the first claw-in-the-nose was not enough for him, he walks back over, only to be struck down again!

This nonsense usually goes on for a few rounds before hubby and I put a stop to the whole thing. For Hillary only gets more violent (and oh, she IS enjoying herself), and Charlie only gets more excited.

It's strange how animals act with one another, how they can just barely get along most of the time but then find these little social interactions and games that serve to entertain (and usually to get them in trouble). These little quirks are just another reason we love our little family.

Dogs and cats sleep about 18 to 20 hours a day. Now that is the life! What I've noticed about our cat, Molly, is that she has very specific nap times and locations throughout the house.

In the morning, its on our bed. When she was younger and pre-blindness, when she felt more confident jumping up on higher surfaces, she used to spend her mornings in the bathroom sink. Afternoons are usually spent on the livingroom sofa, or, if the sofa is already occupied by a smelly dog, on the guest room bed. Evenings are always on her black leather chair (covered with furry black blanket she decided 2 years ago belonged to her) until bed time, when she fights her way onto a cozy spot, usually at my husband's feet.

What fascinates me about her ability to coordinate her naps so specifically is how, like clockwork, she can go from active little kitty, playing with scrunchy balls (she likes toys that make noise, since she can't see them) and tormenting the dogs with unbridled affection, to completely relaxed, sound asleep kitty within about 30 seconds.

There's something for us humans to learn from this. Cats don't have sleepless nights. They don't sit up worrying about if their food dish is going to get filled or if the dog is going to chase them. They have the ability to completely shut off the world and slumber peacefully.

When I see any of my pets completely asleep, it reminds me to try to be more like them. Sleep is so vitally important to living a productive life, and animals instinctively know this. Humans could stand to gain a lot by being able to shut off the worries of the day and just sleep.

Allow me to introduce my family of furry (and not so furry) creatures.

There's Hillary, the little black and white cat we got 6 years ago from a foster home. She is named after the late Sir Edmund Hillary, first man to reach the summit of Mount Everest...why? Because she always has to be at the highest point in the room.

There's Molly, our 7 year old white and grey long-haired tabby. Molly is a darling little cat, very affectionate with the dogs, much to their disdain. Molly is going blind, due to a genetic disorder that materialized about 4 years ago. She gets along just fine. We estimate at this point she can only see shadows, which is why she isn't afraid of the dogs. If she could see them we think she might think twice about snuggling with them and head butting them so much.

There's Charlie, our 5 year old lab/doberman mix. Charlie is a bit nuts. He's extremely energetic but lacks certain social skills and forgets his manners sometimes. The other pets, none of which weigh over 10 pounds, regularly put him in his place and remind him not to be psycho-dog.

There's Hercules, 10 pounds of pure energy. He is a 14 year old jack russell/chihuahua mix that we adopted from my best friend as he doesn't get along with children too well. He's been with us about 6 months and does a great job of putting the Chuckster in his place. Herc, also known as the Stink Man because of his bad oral hygene, is an extremely loyal and affectionate little pup with a big dog attitude.

We also have an assortment of fish in a small aquarium that serves mostly to entertain Hillary when she's not beating up Charlie.

This is our happy little family. It's fun, furry and fantastic! I hope to talk more about how to manage in a house full of furry creatures, and want to hear your stories too!